DJ Sweet Summertime

I always lovingly nickname this time of year my "DJ Summertime" because people are winding down from the holidays, trying to save money and are just in a overall FUNK. Include the fact that January and February are the least likely months to have a party or get married and you have a DJ with (mostly) free weekends! I am filling my time with client meetings, preparing for nearing events and brainstorming ways to really expand my business and improve myself. With that last thing being said, I would like to throw my goals out in the blogger world to not only hold myself accountable but to actually see them written down. My mind is someplace you just don't want to explore so the pure scatterbrainedness is cleansed by writing things down :)

• Advertise in ONE more publication! I am a huge fan of word-of-mouth advertising. Up until about a year ago, that is all that brought me business. It not only is the cheapest form of advertising but is the most effective. It gets your name out there and more so tells the new client that you did enough of a superfantastic job that they are willing to pass your name on. Pay it forward people. In June of 2011, I became a featured DJ on The Knot website. This opened the door for SO MANY BRIDES. Whew. I will be honest, I did not expect the wave of activity through my website. So I would like to advertise in one more place.....
• Have a table at a bridal show! Simple enough, right? Well. My personality is 100% or NOTHING. Get in or get out, none of this halfsies crap. I have been to bridal shows aplenty and let me tell you...I have seen some DJ booths that are flat out embarrassing. This one show I went to had no banners, no equipment, no music,  no handouts. Just this guy with dirty hair sitting on a stool with sunglasses on. Did he think he was cool? I will never know. He invested in this booth (averaging $500 to  $3,000 a pop)and THAT'S what he did? I have what I would want my booth to look like in my mind and by gosh, I will have it look amazing. I am looking at a few shows this fall so my goal is to be ready by then! 
• Update my promotional pictures! I won't lie and say that not only am I selling my services but I am selling myself as a person. You and me? We have to get along. We have to mesh well. You are entrusting me to be a part of your event that you have poured your heart into planning whether it is your daughters Sweet 16 or your WEDDING DAY! I mean, that is a big deal! I do not take that lightly. I also will tell you a secret....I like to change my hair. A lot. Long, short, straight, wavy, up, down, blond, black, brown....blah blah blah. It is all fun. Because of that little fun factoid about me, my pictures get outdated often. My current pics were not even taken two years ago and they have me with black hair and blunt bangs. (I LOVED it...miss it. May do it again.)Now? I have super long blond hair and currently lusting after trying out red. So who knows. My pictures need to be updated so when we are meeting, we don't have that awkward/funny conversation about my hair changing, glasses on or off and whether the outfit I had on was actually latex (true story). SO! New photos it is!
• Invest in my home office! I swear my office is my car. I do not have good luck with vehicles as it is and have changed out 4 different vehicles in less than three years. That situation alone exhausts me so I do not need to have all my paperwork just floating around. I am lucky I have an amazing husband who offered to buy me a desk for Christmas so now I need to figure out which room will be my office and DO IT. Maybe buy a desktop too....eh I am dreaming <3

These are not my only goals. But these are the only ones I am willing to throw out into the world at this second....haha. All of these are in the works and I am pretty excited. We will see!

xoxo

Pearl

{Re-Play Thursday} A Thousand Years - Christina Perri

"Christina Perri - A Thousand Years"

We are gonna slow it down for this weeks Re-Play Thursday! For the past couple weeks I have been GO GO GO GO non-stop and my music tends to reflect my mood 100% of the time. I tell myself every now and again, "Amanda, you have to just caaaaalllllllmmmmmmmm down. Really. You will give yourself a heart attack and that is just not o.k. You don't have time for that." 

Fast forward to this past Tuesday morning in my car coming home from the gym and this little tune comes on. I have heard it before, yes, but it was this particular moment when I really listened to it. Don't judge but I have not read Twilight or seen any of the movies. I refuse to see the movies until I have read the books. With that being said, I had no clue this was in the most recent movie. I will be honest and say that because of this song alone, I may jump on the bandwagon with the Twilight series. (I am that influenced by music....no joke) The lyrics are touching. The music is beautiful and fluid. The entire song is one that I wished I had on my ipod that second to listen to over and over. Well you better believe I did just that! 99 cents later, I had this beauty on repeat until I could sing along at the top of my lungs.....

Heartbeats fast 
Colors and promises 
How to be brave 
How can I love, when I'm afraid to fall 
But watching you stand alone 
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow 

One step closer 

I have died everyday waiting for you 
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you 
For a thousand years 
I'll love you for a thousand more 

Time stands still 
Beauty in all she is 
I will be brave 
I will not let anything take away 
What's standing in front of me 
Every breath 
Every hour has come to this 

One step closer 

I have died everyday waiting for you 
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you 
For a thousand years 
I'll love you for a thousand more 

And all along I believed I would find you 
Time has brought your heart to me 
I have loved you for a thousand years 
I'll love you for a thousand more 

One step closer 
One step closer 

I have died everyday waiting for you 
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you 
For a thousand years 
I'll love you for a thousand more 

And all along I believed I would find you 
Time has brought your heart to me 
I have loved you for a thousand years 
I'll love you for a thousand more

xoxo

Pearl

{Friday Favorites}

Today on Friday Favorites, I wanted to highlight one of my favorite musical memories. My high school graduation. When I say that, you are probably thinking of cap and gowns, pictures with teachers, teary and hopeful goodbyes with friends? My career with high school didn't EXACTLY end that way......

You see. I skipped my high school graduation. Totally just didn't go. I was set to graduate on June 12, 2004 and that happened to be the same exact date that my favorite bands were touring together in our area. I didn't realize until the tour dates were announced that the time I was supposed to be walking across the stage to grab my diploma was the exact time that No Doubt and Blink 182 would be taking the stage at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. Did I waver in my decision? Uh. NO. What I was nervous about was asking my parents permission. Would they be disappointed that they wouldn't see my "hard" work pay off and watch me graduate? Upset? Angry? Who knew? I remember sitting them down in the living room to tell them my dilemma. This also was one of those pivotal moments when I realized my parents were my biggest fans and supported me no matter what. Looking back, it honestly brings me goosebumps because you don't really get the weight of this truth until you are older. All I remember from this moment is my dad shaking his head, laughing and saying "Why am I not surprised!" and my Mom bouncing in her seat wanting to know if she could come. I mean c'mon! My parents just rock :)

My next step was me asking my bestest buddy ever, Katie aka EDDIE, to come with me. She loves some Blink-182 and is a music lover just like me, so it was obvious who I wanted with me. We have been friends for ever, went to Europe together, went through Girl Scouts together and she was even next to me on my wedding day. So me and her? We go way back. I don't remember the moment I asked her but I'm pretty sure she just laughed and said "Are you SERIOUS!?" haha. She also just simply rocks :)

Oh and we also played field hockey together...What DIDN'T do together is a better question haha! 

My Junior year, her Senior year. 

<3

So it was set. AND I WAS PUMPED. So excited that I would finally see my favorite band in person. I was literally counting down the days. I didn't think about the meantime-in-between-time because I had literally had to explain my decision to all of my family, friends and teachers as to why I would do such a thing. It was kind of exhausting explaining over and over that "No, I will not regret this one day" and "Yes I realize I will just have to walk in this summer to pick up my diploma and no, that is not sad to me". I knew in my heart I wouldn't regret it.

The last week of school was a blur and before I knew it, it was the Friday before graduation. I had picked up my cap and gown and we were all required to do a walk-through and blah blah blah. (I did end up getting those pictures with friends in my cap and gown by the way...it just wasn't at graduation haha!)

This is the ONLY picture of me at school before graduation haha! Me and the rest of Mr. Nusbaum's office aides. (Clockwise from top left: Aimee, Julia, Ashley, Lindsay, Rachel, me and Amy)

I decorated my cap and gown, my little VW and we hit the road.....

Oh yeah. I wore the cap and gown the WHOLE time haha! 

"No Doubt or BUST!" 

Ok so don't kill me Eddie but we didn't take many pictures. We both are hot messes lol. 

BWAHAHAHA! Oh I wish I remember what we were laughing at. Who knows. 

Best seats ever, right?!?! No for real though this concert was legit CRAZY. This was their final tour supposedly so tickets flew! We were lucky we were able to even get some. 

It rained the whole day. ha! Did that dampen our spirits?! NO! Just our hair. Did it ruin our time!? NO! It was the best concert ever. Did I end up regretting it?! No way. To this day, I would still drop anything for a No Doubt concert. You better believe it ;) 

So that is one of my most favorite musical memories ever. Trust me, I have TONS but this one topped em' all. 

Have a great weekend!

Love and Rock'n Roll,

Pearl

xoxo

{Re-Play Thursday} Country Girl (Shake It For Me) - Luke Bryan

This song came on the radio last weekend and i.loved.it. Seriously downloaded it right away on my phone and then played it over and over. Been awhile since a country single got me hooked that quick! Luke Bryan's song "Shake It For Me" is catchy, quick and easy to listen to. I think this will be a quick go on my playlists for people who like songs that have this southern draw and just long good musical content. Such a fun tune! If you haven't heard this rising hit, then give it a listen. Let me know what you think!

Hey girl, go on now!
You know you've got everybody lookin'


Got a little boom in my big truck
Gonna open up the doors and turn it up
Gonna stomp my boots in the Georgia mud
Gonna watch you make me fall in love
Get up on the hood of my daddy's tractor
Up on the tool box, it don't matter
Down on the tailgate
Girl I can't wait
To watch you do your thing


*Bridge*
Shake it for the young bucks sittin' in the honky-tonks
For the rednecks rockin' 'til the break of dawn
The DJ spinnin' that country song
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon
Shake it for the birds, shake it for the bees
Shake it for the catfish swimmin' down deep in the creek
For the crickets and the critters and the squirrels
Shake it to the moon, shake it for me girl


*Chorus*
Aw, country girl, shake it for me
Girl, shake it for me
Girl, shake it for me
Country girl, shake it for me
Girl, shake it for me
Girl, shake it for me


Sombody's sweet little farmer's child
With a gattle in her Bud to get a little wild
Pony-tail and a pretty smile
Rope me in from a country mile
So come on over here and get in my arms
Spin me around this big ole barn
Tangle me up like grandma's yarn
Yeah, yeah, yeah


*Bridge*
Shake it for the young bucks sittin' in the honky-tonks
For the rednecks rockin' 'til the break of dawn
For the DJ spinnin' that country song
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon
Shake it for the birds, shake it for the bees
Shake it for the catfish swimmin' down deep in the creek
For the crickets and the critters and the squirrels
Shake it to the moon, shake it for me girl


*Chorus*
Country girl, shake it for me
Girl, shake it for me
Girl, shake it for me
Country girl, shake it for me
Girl, shake it for me
Girl, shake it for me


Guitar!


Now dance, like a dandelion
In the wind on the hill underneath the pines
Yeah, move like the river flows
Feel the kick drum down deep in your toes
All I wanna do is get to holdin' you 
And get to knowin' you
And get to showin' you 
And get to lovin' you 
'Fore the night is through
Baby, you know what to do


*Bridge*
Shake it for the young bucks sittin' in the honky-tonks
For the rednecks rockin' 'til the break of dawn
For the DJ spinnin' that country song
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon
Shake it for the birds, shake it for the bees
Shake it for the catfish swimmin' down deep in the creek
For the crickets and the critters and the squirrels
Shake it to the moon, shake it for me girl

Have an awesome day!

Pearl 

xoxo

{Friday Favorites}

HAPPY FRIDAY! 

Kicking off the weekend with my favorites songs/videos of the week :)

Favorite Throwback Video:

Ahhhh. 1999. I love everything about you. 

Favorite Workout Song:

This ALWAYS gets me to step it up! Love it. 

Favorite Chill:

Everything he does is so beautiful. 

Favorite Jam:

Repeated offender, this one. The song just makes you feel bad ass. 

Favorite That Brings Back A Memory:

This song has a lot of memories tied to it to list but I love The Used. This song is just awesome. 

Favorite From An Event:

This was a Father/Daughter Dance a few weddings ago and I have had it on repeat this week. 

Favorite That Made Me Laugh:

BUAWHAHAHAHA. There are no words. Oh dear. 

Cheers! Have a fantastic weekend!

xoxo

Pearl

{Playlist} Cheers to a Happy New Year!

Peace out 2011! Like the rest of the world and buzz that I hear, I can't believe another year has come and gone. Personally this year has been nothing short of amazing between getting married and moving into the house we built so I have so much to be thankful for. I am also beyond excited that my 2012 is shaping up to be pretty fantastic as well! New Years Eve wouldn't be complete without family, friends, cocktails and a kick ass playlist. Whether you are ready to rock the dance floor or just have some tuneage going in the background, I think this playlist has a little something for everyone! (Until I find a program that will let me actually play and share music on blogger, this will have to do. If there is a song you just have to have, shoot me an email at amanda@fatcatdjandkaraoke.com and I will be more than happy to shoot it to you) 

To kick off the list I have to tell you to listen/watch this DJ Earworm mash up immediately. If I could be as skilled as him, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. 

United State of Pop 2011 - DJ Earworm

Its just epic. Chills. 

NOW. Onto the goodies:

THIS WILL BE OUR YEAR - The Zombies

WAITING FOR TONIGHT - Tom Petty

I'M A MIDNIGHT MOVER - Bobby Womack

GOLDEN YEARS - David Bowie

HELLA GOOD - No Doubt

BETTER DAYS - Goo Goo Dolls

NEXT YEAR - Foo Fighters

NEW YEAR'S DAY - U2

BANGARANG - Skrillex feat Sirah

THIS YEAR'S GIRL - Elvis Costello & The Attractions

BLOW - Keisa

WELCOME TO THE FUTURE - Brad Paisley

THE NEW YEAR - Death Cab for Cutie 

YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG - AC/DC

IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR - Martin Belmont & Graham Parker

AULD LANG SYNE- The Jimi Hendrix Experience

LIVING AFTER MIDNIGHT - Judas Priest

ROLL AWAY YOUR STONE - Mumford & Sons

MY LUCKY DAY -- Bruce Springsteen

PARADISE BY THE C - Clarence Clemons

MIDNIGHT IN HER EYES - The Black Keys

ALL THE RIGHT FRIENDS - R.E.M.

NEW YEAR'S EVE - Tom Waits

PARTY ROCK ANTHEM - LMFAO

FIRST OF THE YEAR - Skrillex

BIG FOOL OF THE YEAR - George Jones

'ROUND MIDNIGHT - Amy Winehouse

DO IT AGAIN - The Beach Boys

HAPPY ENDING - Brian Ray 

HELL ON HEELS - Pistol Annies

WORLD KEEP TURNING - Superheavy 

BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIGGER CITY - Cee Lo Green

CELTIC NEW YEAR - Van Morrison

FORGOTTEN YEARS - Midnight Oil

AT MIDNIGHT - Rufus featuring Chaka Khan

MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONS - The Grass Roots

MIDNIGHT BLUE - Lou Gramm

MY DEAR ACQUAINTANCE (HAPPY NEW YEAR) - Regina Spektor

BRINGING IN A BRAND NEW YEAR - Charles Brown

REELIN' IN THE YEARS - Steely Dan

REWIND - Diane Birch

SET FIRE TO THE RAIN - Adele

AFTER MIDNIGHT - Blink-182

EVACUATE THE DANCEFLOOR - Cascada

MIDNIGHT DREAM - Neil Diamond

LOVE OF MIDNIGHT - Peter Himmelman

MIDNIGHT RAMBLER - The Rolling Stones

MIDNIGHT - Ray Charles

WALKIN' AFTER MIDNIGHT - Patsy Cline

MIDNIGHT MAN - James Gang

MIDNIGHT RENEZVOUS - The Babys

HAPPY NEW YEAR - ABBA

MIDNIGHT - Red Hot Chili Peppers

HARD HARD YEAR - The Everly Brothers

AFTER ALL THESE YEARS - T-Bone Burnett

FUNKY NEW YEAR - The Eagles 

IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR - Frank Sinatra

BETTER DAYS - Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes

AFTER MIDNIGHT - Eric Clapton

SEE A LITTLE LIGHT - Bob Mould

TEN YEARS GONE - Led Zeppelin

MIDNIGHT RIDER - Greg Allman

ONE HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW - Wilco

MIDNIGHT TRAIN TO GEORGIA - Gladys Knight & The Pips

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU - Stealers Wheel

THE COLDEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR - Nino Tempo & April Stevens

KISS ME AT MIDNIGHT - 'NSync

SAVE THE WORLD TONIGHT - Swedish House Mafia

WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEW YEAR'S EVER? - Ella Fitzgerald

IT'S JUST ANOTHER NEW YEAR'S EVE - Barry Manilow 

IT'S THE LONG RUN - Ashford & Simpson

STAND BY ME - Ben E. King

A NEW DAY AT MIDNIGHT - David Gray

FADE INTO DARKNESS (Vocal Radio Mix)- Avicii 

SLEEP - The Roots

LET'S GO TO BED - The Cure

OH! If you have not seen this video floating around with Zooey D and Joseph Gordon-Levitt then do yourself a favor. Its just adorable. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

xoxo

Pearl

{Playlist} Rawk and Roll Christmas

*Picture provided by AppletreeDays*

Crank up that Christmas Tuneage!

Oh yeah I said it and Im not ashamed that I love holiday music. The classic hits, instrumental and modern artists – I LOVE IT ALL. Even more, I don’t get tired of it. It’s so happy and spiritual and FUN. I think it's a cool thing to remind every one that it can be awesome listening to holiday music. Some of these you may have heard before and others you haven't! I know there are a couple by the same artists but they are SO GOOD! I just love them. The best part? As a gift to everyone, you can simply right-click on the song and "Save As" and you can download the song FOR FREE! I know, I know. I'm awesome :) Enjoy!

The Oceanauts - Wonderful Christmastime

She & Him - Baby Its Cold Outside

Straight No Chaser - Who Spiked The Eggnog?

Blink 182 - I Won't Be Home For Christmas

Jessica Simpson - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Gayle Peevey - I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas

The Oceanauts - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

Joshua Pearson - Celebration!

Moon In The Morning - Hearts Are Warm (Its Christmas)

Straight No Chaser - Christmas Can Can (One of my FAVORITES EVER!)

MxPx - Punk Rawk Christmas

Jimmy Buffet - Run Rudolph Run

No Doubt - Oi To The World

Straight No Chaser - 12 Days Of Christmas

Jessica Simpson - Carol of The Bells

Straight No Chaser - O Holy Night

Eutopian Accident - The Friendly Beasts

Danny Leggett - Walking In A Winter Wonderland

Mariah Carey - Oh Santa!

Bob Segar and The Last Heard

The Ramones - Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)

Brian Setzer- Santa Drives A Hot Rod

Clarence Carter - Back Door Santa

The Flaming Lips - A Change At Christmas (Say It Isn't So)

Soupy Sales - Santa Claus Is Surfin' To Town

Roy Wood's Wizzard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday

Tina Sugandh- White Christmas

Rufus Thomas - I'll Be Your Santa, Baby

Jean Beauvoir - Merry Christmas (To All Of The World)

Also! Check out my Let It Snow! station on Pandora! It keeps me going all through the day with a good mix.
Let It Snow! Radio



Love to all and I hope you have a wonderful and Merry Christmas! 
Pearl
XOXO